These KINDA SUCK.. New Petsmart TARANTULA ENCLOSURES assembly and review 

15 DAYS LEFT to get ur own Nibbles: www.makeship.com/products/nibbles-the-obt-plushie

Kat, love your channel, but you really came across biased because T-cribs hooks you up. 1. The instructions would have helped immensely 2. You CAN get all rivets inserted, takes some patience and a little readjusting, but once all are inserted, it’s solid. 3. I will agree, the gap between base and side allows substrate to get caught in between and the base should have been black. 4. The magnet size comparison, seriously? Name a tarantula that can slide that lid open and I will buy ALL your future enclosures. 5. The hype wasn’t purchasing for $40, it was because they were TWENTY ($20). You said you read all the comments, and the comments were mostly how inexpensive they were compared to other leading brands, ie; T-cribs. As a matter of fact, an equally size T-cribs enclosure is 4X the cost of $20 and not everyone gets their enclosures gifted to them. OVERALL: for $20 the Thrive enclosures are very sturdy when PUT TOGETHER CORRECTLY and provides enough room for many juvenile and sub adult T’s, at a price point. The ventilation along the long length side obstructs view and should have been done along the width side. The lid is fairly large, making rehoming a little easier and the arboreal enclosure has a top lid and front door opening as well. If you’re on a budget, they’re cost effective and so much better than repurposed plastic bottles of various sizes that no one seems to criticize on their channel.

The instruction books sitting there unopened, unnoticed, unloved 😢

They are great for the price. I got mine for $20 each and bought about 20 for my hobby. They are absolutely great. I had no issues putting them together, and there was no warping at all. I haven't used the terrestrial ones at all, but the arboreal ones are great at a great price. Now, tarantulas cribs are probably better, but they are very overpriced for a hobbyist. But for RU-vid content creators, they are probably really good since they get most of theirs as gifts or free just to try and show on their channel. But for real-world keepers, they are very over priced or maybe for someone with plenty of money to burn. But the thrive enclosure are very budget friendly and aimed at the hobbyists

I got 3 of the arboreal ones and I keep jumping spiders in them and I think they work well, can’t speak for the terrestrial one. They were on sale for 19.99 so they were much more affordable than 40. I haven’t had any warping issues, but I’ve only had them a couple weeks. They’re easy to open and I appreciate that they have front and top doors. Definitely easier than to use than the one zilla enclosure I have. I think if you can still get them while they are on sale, they aren’t bad, especially compared to other brands at that price.

For 20 bucks the arboreal ones are legit. I have 6 of them and have adult females in each one. No warping and the tolerances are tight, maybe u got a dud idk but all 6 of mine are doing fine

A person could use clear silicone caulking to caulk between the clear plastic and white bottom to prevent dirt from going in-between

I have an arboreal one with my peach earth tiger in it and really like it! Was super easy to set up and was on sale for $20!

You could also silicon the enclosure together. That would stop dirt from falling into the white part, make the whole thing quite a bit stronger and also ensure that water doesn’t leak out the sides.

Did you read the instructions before attempting assembly? Sorry but the arboreal enclosure malfunction looks like it was assembled improperly.

Likely the being required assembly is to reduce shipping and distribution costs for the company. They can fit more product in a tighter space.

4:57 Is it possible that that acrylic wall is supposed to go on the other side? Maybe then it would have aligned? From my experience with putting things together, sometimes each piece has its own specified place and it can only go there.

Just personally inspected the door casing on the terrestrial enclosure Great news is it’s completely sealed on those sides so a T couldn’t possibly get its foot crushed! Figured I’d clear that up before anyone who has a T in one doesn’t freak out.

As a former employee from petsmart (yes, it was the grooming salon, though) I REFUSE to spend money there anymore as they'd rather take your money (very overpriced) and not care for you or your animals safety and health. One of my friends was literally forced to keep selling fish to a woman who came in every 3 or 4 days to a week because she refused to get her water tested but the store leader wouldn't allow her to refuse to sell them. Let alone the fact that my poor tarantula I got from there was kept in THE SMALLEST critter keeper. 3 years strong with my beautiful Mexican red knee, BellaDonna though❤

I have 5 and love them

Here’s the thing… If I’m gonna be spending $40 on an enclosure, I would rather spend $60 and get something nice. The tarantula cribs are just so much better quality. The acrylic is crystal clear, thicker, they are so sturdy, nothing is going to escape from them. They look so beautiful on the shelf, and have clean lines. If it was like $20 bucks, then maybe I would do this as an interim enclosure for a tarantula that is not full-size knowing that I will get a better enclosure later. But for $40, just why? It isn’t worth it.

For the terrestrial enclosure the instructions say to put the enclosure together first and THEN put all the rivets in. The misalignment could have had something to do with that. Maybe things should have shifted into place once the lid was on, but by sticking them in as you went, it was possibly locked into place incorrectly. Only with step 1 (when putting in the short sides) does it say to make sure the holes align with the holes in the base, so I believe that might be what it was. However, I did have a hard time getting the top onto the sides, but then my husband did it with pretty much no issue and looked at me like I was crazy, heh

Awesome Video Tarantula Kat🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

It also has to be remembered getting a dual opening acrylic arboreal enclosure is going to cost at least $50 for something of the same size from any of the major brands and that dual opening aspect can be very important to people who keep arboreal especially

Thank you Kat for caring so much to put out this Product Review for us. I would not trust my Critters in those enclosures. I Would Only Trust Tarantula Crib's Enclosures Not only are they sturdy they're perfect for All your Critter Needs. So much to choose from. Happy Halloween 👻🎃🖤🕷️🖤

Definitely showcases the quality of Tarantula Cribs enclosures!!! These enclosures look like a temu version!

Me and several of my friends have these. The Arboreal being my favorite, I bought several. I have 1 terrestrial, but there is limited species I would see it being used for (N. Incei, Pseudhapalopus sp, H. Formosus). The putting together concept wasn't a problem for me and others I know, but it seems to trouble others, so that's an individual factor. I try all kind of DIY enclosure, various Amazon enclosures, and T cribs. There are pros and cons for all. The ones I avoid are the rubberband enclosures. These aren't the best, but definitely better than most products out there, especially for the price.

I have a few of both and got them when they were on sale for half price. I think for $20 enclosures they work well! I do like tarantula cribs more, but for the price I think it was worth buying them at the sale price. The set up was pretty easy aside from a few of the anchor things having a hard time lining up but we were able to push them through with a little force. I’m not too concerned about the dirt getting between the base and walls, that’s just a cosmetic thing. I will say out of all my enclosures I’ve found one issue and it is with a tarantula cribs enclosure. I actually found yesterday that a couple of the walls of one of my tarantula crib slider crib minis has warped and is separating! (I just got it about a month ago) I immediately reached out to tarantula cribs and they are shipping me a replacement! ❤ When it comes to these vs the tarantula cribs I say get what you can afford and what you personally like 😊

I got the arboreal one for their future upgrade for $20, and I figured my instruction/putting things together bf would love this project 😅

Spray painted the white bottoms a Turkish coffee brown and they look so much better and any dirt that gets between the acrylic and bottom isn’t as obvious.

Your channel is my comfort show lol got the Nibbles plushie the first day you posted it 😊

Art the Clown glasses, amazing.

I bought both styles for future use. I put them both together and had no issues with things aligning. I agree that the arboreal is better. One thing I did to combat dirt gettting in the side is use aquarium silicone to seal the inside gap. Definietely not as good a Tarantula Cribs, and I would expect some warping in tthe future. But for the sale price of $20, I think they are a pretty good buy. I would probably skip over them at the regular price.

I have both of these for my A. avicularia and t. Albopilosus. They’re amazing enclosures when put together correctly

I bought 8 terrestrial and 2 arboreal for $20 each. I usually purchase Herpcult, but with so many T’s the cost of TCribs or Herpcult is getting out of control. Also, there are instructions included, I followed them and put mine together in zero problems! I honestly like these! Pleasantly surprised at how sturdy they are, and I had no problem with putting them together. I used clear caulk and it’s awesome. Worth $20!

I will admit spending the money to get the enclosure is what you should spend more money on in general because the animal will call it home. That being said, I have the arboreal enclosure and it currently has my beautiful avicularia avicularia in it and I’ve had no issues with it whatsoever. I was able to get the enclosure set up quickly and as far as warpage goes, I haven’t noticed anything yet. I believe if it’s harder to access tarantula cribs because you live outside the United States, this is a pretty effective enclosure. I can’t say anything about the terrestrial one because all my terrestrial tarantulas are in tarantula cribs. I also have a toad in a critter keeper. If you have the money for a tarantula cribs, I definitely recommend them instead over this but this is absolutely a great option once it’s put together properly. Critter keepers I’m actually not a huge fan of for tarantulas because of the ventilation on their lids. But it’s totally okay for something like a toad who won’t get their feet stuck in it.

For assembly, it has the benefit of reducing storage requirements and therefore also shipping constraints and costs. If you can ship 50 boxes instead of 20, you reduce the carbon footprint

Aww you included my venom ❤❤❤ in member pics! great video as usual! We have similar in uk and the substrate getting stuck is enough to annoy me 😂

They’re decent for being $20 when they’re on sale. I got 6 of them during the $20 sale. The equivalent size tc brand is $60 which is a lot of money if the enclosure isn’t even big enough for most adult Ts. I just use them for growing out juveniles. It’s not feasible for most of me to buy 10+ tarantula cribs for growing out juveniles given their pricing. I’d totally get a TC enclosure when my Ts are full grown but not for my 12 sling/juvies when I’m going to have to just rehouse them in something else. My favorite terrestrial/fossorial enclosures for the price are the reptile growth ones from Amazon.

My local Petsmart sells these for $20. I bought one for my Black and White and I love it so much I am going back to grab a couple more.

They are definitely NOT T Cribs...not even close! But they are only $20. I bought both and to me the Terrestrial is totally useless! Not near deep enough for almost any terrestrial tarantula. Maybe for a scorpion or a millipede...or hissers...but not Ts! The arboreal one is not bad at all. I'm using it with one of my versicolors...not bad...its only been about 2 months so it's too early to report any warping. But for $20?? Not too bad!

I would just keep saving and go for something else before those. Just seem a tad sketchy when there are other options out there. And the substrate between the white and acrylic would drive me mad. Also am fully tcribs biased, but yea. 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

It’s funny because I actually prefer a good quality build your own with the rubber bands (never used Zilla myself) over an already assembled tank. It makes them so much easier to store when not in use if you don’t have a lot of space. Tho I’ve never had the issue of them feeling like they’ll fall apart when moving. I also use hot glue to seal mine. It comes off easily when time to dismantle.

It would've cost them a ton more to have them preassembled, the workers to do it, the factory, all that.

Such perfect timing! I was just looking at this enclosure last week as they’re on sale for $20 and was unsure if I should buy it

To help maximize shelf space and shipping they are diy. Its that way for alot of retail spaces. The less space they take up the more room there is for more product.

I have all my Tarantulas at this time in tubs . I'm looking forward to re homing them in visual enclosures. After watching your review video im leaning more towards Tarantula Cribs. I love the way your Tarantulas look inside all of your Tarantulas Cribs enclosures and i just can't wait to start making my purchases.

Honestly my favorite are containers from the container store. So many different sizes and for a third of the cost of a tarantula cribs enclosure

Omg I’m so happy that you reviewed these! I was thinking of buying some but wasn’t sure and I could not find any videos on them 😭

I bought the terrestrial enclosure while on sale, and read the 5 step instructions and it snapped together no problems. Fine for a $20 imo, wouldn’t pay $40. Can’t speak for longevity or warping but I prefer this over a critter keeper for a transitional home as I find critter keepers obnoxious to open. Also I did not clasp the lid to the sides so I can remove the whole top and not just use the slide door.

The acrylic is so thin… I would stick with Tarantula Cribs. They don’t seem that sturdy.

First off, I really love your content! You're an amazing spider keeper, and you seem like such a cool person. That said, I understand you might not like a product, but saying it outright 'sucks' feels a bit exaggerated. This video comes across as somewhat biased, which makes sense since you're affiliated with T Cribs. However, it's important to note that Tarantula Cribs' products are significantly more expensive, and some people need to save money, especially when keeping a lot of tarantulas. Some of the points you raised are also a bit confusing, like the complaint about it not coming assembled. Not only does this help save on transport and storage costs, allowing them to sell it at a lower price, but it's also more environmentally friendly since more products can be shipped at once. Tldr, the review feels biased, and that’s really the main point I wanted to make.

I have my quarter sized G. pulchra in one. It took a couple of tries assembling it for everything to fit right. I haven't had a problem with substrate falling between the acrylic and the base. The lid does worry me some as the magnets seem a bit weak but everything fits well. I should mention that my son built it for me and his hobby is assembling plastic models and building things out of acrylic.

I bought one of these to try out because they were on sale for 20 bucks. I've assembled it but have yet to put one of my 8-legged kiddos in it. I'm apprehensive.

Outsourcing labor costs to the end consumer. Thats why you have to build it yourself. It also ships slightly flatter so you can fit 3 more of them in a shipping crate or whatever. edit: wow just got to the misaligned holes. zilch quality control on it to boot.

I'm using an arboreal one. And it was easy setup for me, I also added aquarium sealant before setting it up.

Thank you for doing this. I saw these at the store and was curious.

OMG! Those are the sunglasses Art tried on in Terrifier 2 😂

Kat I just gotta say. You look amazing. I can see you are thriving that new house. Looking good!! Love nibbles, she's so cute.

i think one of the reasons they make you assemble it is because it’s a big box store most of their products are being sold in person so the shipping cost is on them not the consumer and by making a more compact package they can cut down on their shipping costs and keep more in stock bc they take up less space edit: especially bc it’s their “great value” non branded option so like they want to make the price of that as appealing as they can since they probably make more profit off of the thrive brand than they do from exoterra edit 2: i yapped too early you legit touched on almost everything i said like two minutes after i said it

super glad your trying these i just saw them in store and was curious 🧐 i’ve tried tarantula cribs and also the zilla ones.. i wonder how these will hold up

I love the arboreal ones. I found it tricky to align the terrestrial ones, but with patience, a few not-so-choice words, I was able to get it flush so that all the divots fit. I also followed the directions and put the sides in by recommended order (not sure that matters but perhaps it does? The terrestrial is trickier, especially if you stack, as there is only one opening and it is on the top. A second would have been nice there. I have a juvenile B Boehmi in the terrestrial one, doing fine. I have a juvenile C versicolor in the arboreal who seems happy and I am more than happy with that one. Once constructed, I had no issues (arboreal was a breeze to put together).

Use them for plush spiders! Would be very nice displays, but I agree with you. The ones you use now seem much better.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t have any issues with the plastic rivets or gaps. I think the arboreal one is the star of the 2. The terrestrial one is just not deep enough for the substrate depth most terrestrial Ts need. That said, you can seal around the edges with aquarium silicone to fill it up more and make it work. I did get them on sale for the $20 though.

hi kat !! i just got the terrestrial one for my little gbb baby (2"). at first the connecting joints were horrible and not secure at all and it fell aprt so easily !! ive super glued it and let it dry out and it ended up pretty durable and secure. yes i got dirt between the acrylic and the white bottom which annoys me too, but its been working well in the meantime! i am very careful with her little toes, and she has been a pretty happy tarantula. i will definitely be upgrading her to a better (non pet smart) enclosure after a couple molts, but ya !

So glad you reviewed these thank you 🎉

So you don’t waste them what I would do is take the dirt back out dust it and clean it off really well put it back together and then go around the inside edge with some silicone and then go around the outside edges with silicone. It shouldn’t cause any harm to the spiders if you use 100% silicone food grade. And once it’s dried completely should be safe and then you won’t have to worry about them coming apart or getting loose

I literally just got the arboreal one today!! I go on RU-vid and you are literally talking about it! 😂

I haven't tried these, but I do have a small zilla arboreal that I got over 3 years ago for my very first jumper. I still have it and find it quite sturdy, I had no issues with warping so far or anything, it even traveled with me from UT to CA without issue's (assembled). after this video I think the zilla design is smarter though imo, although I do like the arboreal one and would probably get one on sale, but only for jumpers lol

I have my little jumping spider in the arboreal one I've had no problem with it no warping, no no problem at all, I got it on sale for $20 you really can't beat it and I like the fact that it has the pegs instead of the rubber bands and it seems pretty sturdy to me and I do pick it up all the time and move it so I don't know why they say that I guess just to be on the side of caution

So I thought Charlotte was gone, but she’s still there making her web ❤! She comes out at night she’s really beautiful

I got a few and overall like them. My only complaint is the lids warped fairly quick, even in the lower humidity ones. I was also seeing recommendations to put aquarium safe caulking around the inside to prevent substrate from getting between the acrylic and base. Then it can also be filled more I ordered your plushie! I can't wait to get it and add it to my collection of your plushies! I have gotten all of them! lol

I love your skeleton pjs❤❤❤and idk I feel like it would mold but it could just be me. I see you making your own furbaby cribs🫶🏽💜🫶🏽 I can't wait❤

Thanks for the review I looked at these yesterday but kept thinking about the one I have at home warped. Magnets don’t hold lid closed. Put together with bands that leaked every time you watered. I got the 10 gallon front opening door $24

The assembling would kill me and then I have noticed the main complaints were the fact that the thinly cheaply made acrylic warped within a week which is pretty hair stressful for me. I'd rather just use containers for a couple of months to years and then get a decent enclosure from exo Terra or t cribs. I don't know I don't want to loose a tarantula and waste more money.

I have been testing one of the arboreal enclosures. I have my H. mac in it. The enclosure assembly was a little too irritating for the price point. Basically the more pegs you insert, the more difficult the next ones are to push in. Also, the front door warped in under a week. I keep the substrate fairly dry, with one damp corner where the water dish is. That's my experience so far. Not the best, not the worst

I have an avic and a striata in these and haven't had any issues. My main complaint is they seem to dry out a little quicker than I'd like otherwise they've been fine. Good if you're in a pinch and if you get them on sale at half off, even better. 🤷‍♂️

I am currently using the thrive terrestrial for my baby T Blondi and for $20 on sale I think it’s a good deal since I’m only gonna use it temporarily 😊 mine also came with a “crack” on it in the same spot as yours did but it’s not actually a crack as I felt it and someone else had that same issue with theirs

These being 20$ on sale is worth it. I have four of them and none had issues being put together.

thanks for doing this review! i just bought the aboreal one for my first jumping spider. i didnt even think about warping being an issue. im going to try it out anyway and if it sucks ill just buy a better one. she's still too small to be moved out of her sling enclosure, so i have some time to figure everything out.

It was great to finally see these out of the box. BUUUUT did you read the directions off camera? It’s really tempting to rush in, but most issues seem to be caused by user error. Idk why the hate for self assembly. 🤷‍♀️ So many ppl keeping everything from isopods to snakes do more than just snap button locks into holes. I think the lid sliding back makes the lid way more secure than just a hinge. Thanks for opening the box and getting into it. I think for the $20 sale price, these are a great option…for other things than spiders, not my area.

Great vid Kat.

They are on sale for $19.99.. for $20 bought on site,no shipping.. I bought a trunk full and had no issues with any of them.. all the ones I bought were easy to put together. No issues.. I think you just had bad luck and bought some that needed to be returned for an exchange.. for 20$ I mean you can't even buy a meal at McDonald's for less than 20$ these days.. so for the value for the buck.. I enjoy the ones i bought..I bought all the store had,and went back for more when there truck delivered more..lol

spotted these at my local pet smart a while ago, I'm not rushing to get these anytime, I was thinking the dollar stores in my area have black lights in the holiday section for Halloween although more than a few places have been putting out Christmas stuff recently, a dollar store enclosure build for a scorpion with a black light would be interesting.

I got my first phiddipus regius female today!😁😁😄

Just a thought nut bolt washer rather then the rubber thing would it work ❤

Hope you can at least return the terrestrial enclosure to the store, nice idea but kritter keeper for the win.

Thank you for the review 😊

It's really sad to see a big RU-vidr perpetuating the issues with these enclosures when they were only ever popular because they were in inexpensive alternative for people who didn't want to spend $50 to $100 for similar-sized enclosures with similar features. The terrestrial one can be argued but the arboreal enclosure is perfectly valid and there's nothing wrong with using it I've seen too many people get yelled at in groups now for using these enclosures and that is just not appropriate, some people are poor and we don't say anything to people keeping them in Tupperware containers which these are definitely Superior to.

If you're not a big fan of these enclosures and won't use them on your cillection, then would it be possible to give them to your daughter and let her create her dream enclosure and post a Pic of her creations?

Hello! What do you think the best insect/ arthropod is. What would you recommend someone? I hope you respond, I love your channel and I love your arthropods

love your vids

You really get what you pay for, I make mine on my laser machine I’ve had to return so many due to errors

To a company like this it’s all about space the smaller the pakkage the more they can stock and transport, and it’s not about what you a customer wants it’s just about what they want and that’s just your hard earned money

Great video

All of these big chain pet stores are also guilty of throwing live animals, fish, birds rodents, lizards and so on, LIVE into the trash. There are video's of people rescuing them online.

They are worth it when they do the half off sales on the weekends. Better than the Zillas I have.

These small plastic enclosures bother me so badly. I'm always trusting my glass tanks 🤣

I would rather support a small business over trying to save $$ on these. I got a top & front opening enclosure for my jumpers from Super Spood Jumpers and adore them. I also love my Tarantula Cribs too. By the time you put them together and go to the hardware store to get “quick fixes” for the Thrive enclosures, you’re already sinking more time & $$ into this, and then you’re already at the price point for a better quality enclosure. And if you have to return it to Pet Smart, you’re out of an enclosure.

I‘m in Europe, so we don’t have Petsmart… but enclosures like these, you can get cheap directly from China 🙄 I would never buy something like this… maybe for feeder critters, like Dubias. I got ExoTerras only and am very happy with these. My Ts and snake are thriving in these, so I don’t change. If Tarantula Cribs will get available here, without horrendous shipping costs, I would consider trying them.

Are tarantula Cribs available for shipping to Canada?

Art the clown glasses!!! 😂

Unfortunately here in the uk a lot of our stuff comes with self assembly. I’ve just got into the hobby ( I have reptiles but now spiders to ) I’m looking around and found some enclosures already made but they all have the small magnets. I don’t like our vivariums here either. They are mostly wooden

If I gotta assemble something myself I will just buy glass and silicone 😂

It's the first review and video of you that is kinda unfair. They are cheap and really good, if you use the instruction books and put a bit more love and afford into assembling them. Otherwise you can use a hint of silicone to seal the seams, which is perfectly fine for that price. My feelings is, that you don't WANT to like them, because it isn's sponsort.. ^^